The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) – Filming Locations
Drama / Romance · Directed by Jacques Demy · Starring Nino Castelnuovo, Catherine Deneuve
This simple romantic tragedy begins in 1957. Guy Foucher, a 20-year-old French auto mechanic, has fallen in love with 17-year-old Geneviève Emery, an employee in her widowed mother's chic but financially embattled umbrella shop. On the evening before Guy is to leave for a two-year tour of combat in Algeria, he and Geneviève make love. She becomes pregnant and must choose between waiting for Guy's return or accepting an offer of marriage from a wealthy diamond merchant.
Where was The Umbrellas of Cherbourg filmed?
- Cherbourg, France, Cherbourg – Opening sequence and establishing shots of the port town where Guy works as a mechanic. The actual harbor and seaside town of Cherbourg serves as the primary setting, with real streets and buildings painted in bright pastel colors for the film
- Cherbourg, France, Cherbourg – The iconic opening musical number with umbrellas and dancing in the rain on the main street. Demy's famous choreographed opening sequence filmed on Cherbourg's main commercial street, with the entire street painted in soft pastels and residents dancing with colorful umbrellas
- Cherbourg, France, Cherbourg – Guy's workplace where he dreams of Geneviève while working on cars. The real garage location in Cherbourg where the male lead character works as a mechanic, establishing his humble social position
- Rocamadour, France, Rocamadour – The pilgrimage destination where Guy's mother takes him, featuring romantic cinematography of the medieval village. This picturesque fortified village in the Dordogne served as the romantic interlude location where Guy and Geneviève share intimate moments away from Cherbourg
- Paris, France, Paris – Paris scenes in the film's second half showing the lovers' separation and reunion. Demy filmed exterior Paris sequences to show the passage of time and the characters' diverging lives after their separation